Sunglasses & Glasses

The 5 Best Polarized Fishing Sunglasses of 2022

Whether you’re deep sea or fly fishing, the sun and glare can blind you on the open water. And while sunglasses help, polarized fishing sunglasses take that protection to the next level.

Polarized fishing lenses provide the ultimate protection against harmful UV rays plus block out maximum glare. But having the right lenses and sunglasses is key.

Keep reading as we review the best polarized fishing sunglasses. Plus the best fishing lenses for every environment.

Polarized Fishing Lenses

Why Polarized Lenses Are Good for Fishing?

Polarized lenses are great for fishing because they improve your vision and allow you to see clearly into the water.

Polarized lenses work by removing glare from water and other light-reflecting surfaces. And these lenses can sharpen your vision so that you can easily spot fish and underwater structures, even under low-light situations.

Plus there are even polarized specific lenses made for fishing. Keep reading as we review the best polarized fishing lenses and shades for the water!

The Best Polarized Fishing Lenses by Environment

Many designer brands sell fishing-specific lenses designed to maximize visibility on the water. But understanding the right lens color and tint for your environment is key.

We’ve selected the best fishing lenses by environment below, including our recommended tints.

Deep Water Fishing

Because deep water fishing involved deep and dark blue tones in high glare environments, we recommend a lens with a rose, blue, grey, or green base tint. These base tints help to contrast the large amounts of blue around you and will help to highlight fish under the water.

Our two favorite lenses for deep sea fishing are Oakley Prizm Deep Water Polarized, which features contrast-enhancing built for the water, and Costa Del Mar Bluelight Wave Glass (580G).

Polarized Fishing Lenses Comparison
Oakley Prizm Deep Water Lens (right) vs. No Lens (left) – Photo: Oakley

Shallow Water Fishing

For shallow water fishing in rivers and lakes, you’ll want a lens that features an amber, rose, or green tint. These will help to balance out the blue and brown tones typically found in shallow water environments.

And if you fish at dawn or dusk, you’ll want to find a lighter lens that allows between 15-20% light or visual light transmission (VLT). These lenses will perform best in low-light and bright conditions alike.

We’d recommend Oakley Prizm Shallow Water, Costa Green Lightwave Glass, or Maui Jim HCL Bronze lenses for shallow water fishing conditions.

Fly Fishing

Since fly fishing often involves a large amount of brown tones along with blues in high glare environments, we recommend using green, blue, or yellow lenses. These tints will protect your eyes while helping you spot fish under the surface for sight fishing.

Our favorite fly fishing lenses are Costa Del Mar Green Lightwave Glass, Oakley Prizm Shallow Water, and Smith ChromaPop Green Mirror. Read more in our guide to the best polarized fly fishing sunglasses.

And you can find all of the lenses we’ve selected above in the best fishing sunglasses below!

Low Light / Cloudy Conditions

If you’re fishing on cloudy days or in low light conditions, we’d recommend rose or yellow lenses that help to brighten your environment. These lenses will allow more light than blue or green fishing lenses, meaning you’ll be able to clearly see while still blocking glare.

If your sunglasses feature interchangeable lenses, keeping a pair of yellow lenses in your gear for cloudy conditions is definitely recommended!

Read more in our guide to the Best Fishing Lens Colors!

Best Fishing Lens Colors

The 5 Best Polarized Fishing Sunglasses

5. Costa Del Mar FanTail

Costa Fishing Sunglasses

Costa sunglasses are known as one of the best manufacturers of fishing sunglasses, and the Fantail frame (Product Link) delivers on that reputation! These sunglasses feature thick nylon temples that are water-resistant and provide added grip. And with either Green or Blue Lightwave glass lenses, these are great all-around fishing sunglasses.

FanTail Highlights

  • Classic full-frame fishing design with a large wrap that provides superior coverage on the water
  • Good pair of fishing glasses that works well for any angler or environment
  • Available with Costa Green and Blue 580G impact and scratch resistant Lightwave glass lenses

4. Smith Guide’s Choice

Smith Guide's Choice Sunglasses

Smith Optics Guide’s Choice (Product Link) sunglasses feature a lightweight frame with a large wrap for maximum coverage on the water. And their ChromaPop lenses are specifically designed for water and fishing with complete UV protection. We’d recommend the green mirror ChromaPop lenses for fly fishing and blue mirror for deep sea fishing, but you can’t go wrong with any of the colors.

Guide’s Choice Highlights

  • Large wrap design with rubber nose pads for additional grip even when wet
  • Available in standard and XL sizes for a perfect fit
  • ChromaPop lens technology built for fishing providing 100% protection against UVA, UVB and UVC rays

3. Maui Jim Southern Cross

Maui Jim Southern Cross Polarized Fishing Sunglasses

Made of triple-injected Nylon, Maui Jim Southern Cross (Product Link) sunglasses are lightweight and comfortable all day. Plus with rubber grips, these shades are designed to stay on your face. And with MauiGreen Polarized lenses, these are one of the best sunglasses for bright and direct sunlight conditions.

Southern Cross Highlights

  • Lightweight large wrap frame design for comfort while providing wide coverage
  • Scratch and shatter resistant lenses to protect your eyes while fishing
  • Available with Neutral Grey, HCL Bronze and MauiGreen lens colors

2. Costa Del Mar Tuna Alley

Costa Del Mar Tuna Alley Polarized Sunglasses

Similar to the FanTail above, Costa Tuna Alley (Product Link) sunglasses provide even more coverage and are consistently one of the top-selling fishing sunglasses! Originally designed for deep water fishing and boating, these sunglasses are designed to help you easily view under the water surface. And the Tuna Alley’s lightweight but durable design with patented venting will have you staying cool and comfortable all day!

Tuna Alley Highlights

  • Full frame design made of durable nylon material with patented venting for all day comfort
  • Available with polarized mirrored blue and green lenses for any fishing environment
  • Available with scratch-resistant Costa 580G Glass lenses or impact resistant 580P Polycarbonate lenses

1. Oakley Split Shot Sunglasses

Split Shot Fishing Sunglasses
Split Shot Fishing Sunglasses – Photo: Oakley

The best-polarized fishing sunglasses on our list, the Oakley Split Shot (Product Link) is built for fishing with innovation at every corner. This pair of Oakley sunglasses are made of lightweight O Matter frame material and features a detachable leash so they stay on your face and out of the water. Plus the Split Shot is available with both Oakley Prizm Deep Water and Shallow Water specific lenses.

Read more in our complete Oakley Split Shot review.

Split Shot Highlights

  • Lightweight O Matter frame with a large wrap built for any waterman
  • Easily swap lenses in this frame so you can adjust when cloudy days become sunny
  • Available with contrast-enhancing Prizm Deep Water and Shallow Water lenses

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Polarized Lenses?

Polarized lenses act as a filter that neutralizes horizontal light rays caused by glare.

When light strikes an object (especially anything with a flat surface), it’s reflected and bounces off in a flat and horizontal way. We call this light “glare”. And Polarized lenses help stop this light so you can see more clearly.

Because of this, we recommend Polarized lenses for any high-glare environments like fishing and driving.

Check out the video below for a complete explanation and our Polarized Sunglasses Guide for more.

How Are Polarized Glasses Different From Sunglasses? 

Polarized glasses provide better clarity in bright light conditions by filtering out light, as we described above.

While normal sunglasses help to reduce glare, they also reduce the intensity of everything else you see to the same levels. This means you may not see as clearly through standard lenses in bright light conditions.

In fact, if you compare regular sunglasses to polarized glasses, you’ll immediately notice the difference.

To think of it simply, normal sunglasses block all light, while polarized sunglasses only block out the bad light.

How Do Polarized Fishing Lenses Help You?

By blocking out glare, Polarized glasses allow your vision to pierce through the water and clearly see fish.

For example, let’s assume you’re out fishing and the sun is shining brightly. When the sunlight strikes the water surface it reflects glare in your eyes, making it difficult to see clearly. And how will you catch anything if you can’t see through the water?

This is exactly where polarized lenses come in. By filtering out the bad light while maintaining clarity, you can see into the water without straining your eyes.

Polarized vs. Non-Polarized Lenses
Polarized vs. Non-Polarized Lenses

What Frame Material is Best for Fishing Sunglasses?

When you wear sunglasses for fishing, you’ll be on the water all day. And that means you’re going to be uncomfortable if your sunglasses don’t fit right!

Because we all have different sized and shaped heads and faces, it’s better to buy glasses that are comfortable from the start. Especially for sports and fishing sunglasses.

We recommend lightweight sunglasses made of durable nylon-plastics like Oakley O-Matter or Costa Del Mar’s TR-90. These frame materials are comfortable all-day and resistant to saltwater, sweat, and other oils.

To find your perfect fit check out our Sunglasses Size Guide.

What Color Lens is Best For Water?

Blue or Green polarized lenses with a grey base tint are the best lens colors for water conditions. But having the right lenses for your environment is crucial.

We’d recommend checking out our guide above that outlines the best lenses for different types of fishing environments.

Are Prescription Fishing Sunglasses Available?

Yes, all of the frames in our guide are available with prescription fishing lenses. You can buy prescription fishing sunglasses from a variety of online retailers or your local eye doctor.

And most will carry a wide selection of frames including the best polarized fishing sunglasses from our guide above.

Have a Question?

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I'm looking to replace my Holbrook lenses with aftermarket lenses that help with fishing. Does anyone know what colors would work best? Currently looking at Ikon and Fuse lenses. Thanks for the help in advance.

I would say definitely polarized to eliminate the glare and then something with an amber, brown or rose base for sunny and yellow for overcast. The Deep water Prizm oakley lenses are available for the Holbrook and would be perfect.
 
I would say definitely polarized to eliminate the glare and then something with an amber, brown or rose base for sunny and yellow for overcast. The Deep water Prizm oakley lenses are available for the Holbrook and would be perfect.

Even if hes fishing in shallow waters?
 
If you want an awesome fishing lens....check out Costa's. They making awesome lenses
 
I would say definitely polarized to eliminate the glare and then something with an amber, brown or rose base for sunny and yellow for overcast. The Deep water Prizm oakley lenses are available for the Holbrook and would be perfect.

Thanks for the help. Will look into those.